hired gun

American  

noun

Informal.

1. a person hired to kill someone, as a gunfighter or professional killer.

2. a person hired to bear arms and fight for another, as a bodyguard or mercenary.

3. a person, as a politician or lobbyist, skilled at attaining power for others.

4. a person hired to resolve difficult problems or disputes or to handle complex legal or business problems.

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hired gun Idioms  

1. A person, especially a professional killer, employed to kill someone, as in They thought the murder had been done by a hired gun . The noun gun has been slang for a professional criminal since the mid-1800s.

2. A person with special knowledge or expertise who is employed to resolve a complex problem. For example, The legal team was looking for a hired gun to handle the antitrust angle of the case . [ Slang ; 1960s]

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Etymology

Origin of hired gun

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

Fearful that this news would become public and make him look bad, Lively claims, Baldoni’s team orchestrated a smear campaign against her with the help of a hired gun named Jed Wallace.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 8, 2025

Tacopina attacked Carroll's expert as a "hired gun" and attacked Carroll for not going to the police about the alleged attack.

From Salon • May 9, 2023

But Niemeyer also calls Wildlife Services “the hired gun of the livestock industry.”

From Seattle Times • Mar. 13, 2023

“But I feel like a hired gun, in a sense, like a Boba Fett.”

From New York Times • Oct. 2, 2019

Node:hired gun, Next:hirsute, Previous:hing, Up:= H = hired gun n.

From The Jargon File, Version 4.2.2, 20 Aug 2000 by Steele, Guy L.